Buying weapons today is cheap. In fact, for modern
armies who buy large sums, most optical sights cost much
more then assault rifles per unit.
Description:
The original AK was also known as the AK-47. It was a
gas-operated, selective-fire weapon. Like all 7.62-mm
Kalashnikov assault rifles, it fired the Soviet 7.62 x 39-mm
M1943 round and used a standard 30-round curved box
magazine. The AK came in two versions: one with a fixed
wooden stock, and another, the AKS, with a folding metal
stock issued primarily to parachutist and armor troops.
Except for the differences in the stock and the lack of a
tool kit with the AKS, the two version were identical. The
early AKs had no bayonet, but the version with the fixed
wooden stock later mounted a detachable knife bayonet.
The improved model, known as the
AKM, is
easier to produce and operate. It weighs about one kilogram
less than the AK. The reduced weight results from using
thinner, stamped sheet metal parts rather than machined,
forged steel; laminated wood rather than solid wood in the
hand guard, forearm, pistol grip, and buttstock; and new
lightweight aluminum and plastic magazines. Other improvements
include a straighter stock for better control; an improved gas
cylinder; a rate-of-fire control alongside the trigger; a rear
sight graduated to 1,000 meters rather than 800 meters; and a
greatly improved, detachable bayonet.
The AKM
also has a folding-stock version, designated AKMS, intended
for use by riflemen in armored infantry combat vehicles such
as the BMP. Except for its T-shaped, stamped-metal, folding
buttstock, the AKMS is identical to the
AKM. The
folding-stock model can reduce its length from 868 to 699
millimeters.
The safety lever
serves two functions when in the upper or "safe" position.
First, it blocks dirt from entering the action by covering the
slot the bolt carrier lever moves through when the weapon is
fired. This also prevents the weapon from being cocked while
on "safe".
Second, an extension on
the pin holding the lever through the receiver blocks the rear
of the trigger, preventing the trigger from being pulled. When
the safety lever is moved to "fire, the action may be cycled,
and the trigger is the only thing holding the hammer from
falling.
When the trigger is
pulled, the hammer falls, hits the rear of the firing pin,
and the round detonates. Note that the AK-47 bolt is locked
closed by rotating when the bolt carrier is moved forward
(there is a cam on the top of the bolt that engages a slot in
the bolt carrier to accomplish the rotation). The firing
pin is free-floating -- there is no spring to hold it
retracted until the hammer falls. Consequently, if one
manually cycles live rounds through the AK-47, one will
observe light indentations on the primers where the firing pit
hit against them as the action closed. Consequently, it is
inadvisable to chamber live rounds unless you are prepared for
the possibility of the weapon firing when you do so.
Slam-fires do not
seem to be as common as with the SKS,
and it is hard to get enough dirt into the action to
cause it to malfunction for that reason. I recall one report
of flawless functioning even when the rifle was so covered in
mud as to be hardly recognizable as a firearm.
The action is
gas-operated: when a round detonates, some gas from the
explosion is vented out of a small hole at the top of the
barrel near the muzzle. This gas pushes against the front of
the piston in the gas tube, which is connected to the bolt
carrier. As the bolt carrier is pushed rearward by the gas,
the bolt rotates to unlock and moves rearward, and the round
in the chamber is extracted and pulled back.
The round is ejected
when it hits against a small
protrusion
on the left side of the
receiver
as the bolt moves rearward. Simultaneously, the back of the
bolt pushes the hammer back and cocks it.
The hammer is held back
by the
disconnect or (the trigger is almost certainly still
pulled, since the action cycles much faster than the operator
can release the trigger). The bolt and bolt carrier recoil
against the recoil spring and guide rod, and come back
forward. As the bolt comes forward, it grabs the top round
from the magazine and puts it in the chamber.
There is no feature to
hold the bolt open after the last round is fired from the
magazine. When the operator releases the trigger, the
disconnect
or moves rearward and releases the hammer to move about
1/8", at which point it is stopped by the (now released)
trigger until the operator pulls the trigger a second time.
Capabilities:
All 7.62-mm Kalashnikov assault rifles fire
in either semiautomatic or automatic mode and have an
effective range of about 300 meters. At full cyclic rate, they
can fire about 600 rounds per minute (up to 640 rounds per
minute for the AKM),
with a practical rate of about 100 rounds per minute fully
automatic or 40 rounds per minute semiautomatic. Both the AK
and AKM can mount a grenade launcher. Both can have passive
image intensifier night sights. Both can function normally
after total immersion in mud and water. The fully chromed
barrel ensures effective operation even at very low
temperatures. The muzzle of either weapon fits into the
swiveling firing points of the BMP. Thus, the infantryman can
fire the weapon while the vehicle is moving.
Limitations:
The most serious drawback to the AK and
AKM is the
low muzzle velocity (710 meters per second) of the relatively
heavy 7.62-mm round. This results in a looping trajectory that
requires a clumsy adjustment for accuracy at ranges beyond 300
meters. The barrel overheats quickly when the weapon fires for
extended periods, making the weapon hard to handle and
occasionally causing a round to explode prematurely in the
chamber. The exposed gas cylinder is easily dented, sometimes
causing the weapon to malfunction.
Remarks:
Although they designed it in 1947 and thus
referred to it as the AK-47, the Soviets actually adopted the
AK in 1949. The AK entered service in 1951. It was the basic
individual infantry weapon of the Soviet Army until the
introduction of the AKM. The Soviets developed the
AKM in
1959. It entered service in 1961. All 7.62-mm Kalashnikov
assault rifles are very dependable weapons. They produce a
high volume of fire and are simple to maintain. However, the
new 5.45-mm assault rife AK-74 is replacing the 7.62-mm
weapons.
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Kalashnikov goal was to design a
cheaply manufactured, automatic weapon that fired the
new Soviet 7.62x39mm intermediate power round. This
round was intended to be a compromise between the
pistols rounds fired from submachine gun, which were
controllable but lacked power, and the rifle cartridges
fired from heavier machine guns, which were either too
heavy to fire while on the
move or, if lightened, uncontrollable during
automatic fire. The conventional wisdom is that the
Nazi's originated the concept of an assault rifle with
their MP44 machine-pistol design, (which fired the
7.92x33 "8mm Kurz" round) and the Soviets copied them,
but this is disputed by Ezell -- both sides may have
developed such weapons concurrently. Furthermore,
Kalashnikov was hardly the only _Soviet_ designer
working toward this end at this time. Other designers
looking at the 7.62x39 cartridge included Simonov
(designer of the SKS) and Tokarev (designer of the
weapons that bear his name).
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The following data comes from
James Infantry Weapons 1995 - 1996.
Cartridge: 7.62 x 39
mm Operation: gas, selective fire
Locking: rotating bolt Feed: 30-round detachable box
magazine
Weight: 4.3 kg Length: 869 mm
Barrel: 414 mm Rifling: 4 grooves, rh, 1 turn in 235 mm
Sights: fore, post, adjustable; rear, U-notch, tangent
Muzzle velocity: 710 m/s
Rate of fire: cyclic, 600 rds/min Effective range: 300
m
Links:
Jane's Information Group - provides the Jane's
series of military reference books.
Official Kalashnikov home page - provides comprehensive
information on Kalashnikov arms.
Military Parade - the latest information from the Russian
defense industry.
Sources:
Headquarters, Department of the Army. FM
100-2-3 - The Soviet Army: Troops, Organization and Equipment.
Washington D.C.: Department of the Army, June 1991.
Nedelin, A. Kalashnikov Arms. Moscow: Military Parade, 1997.
Jane's Information Group Limited (edited by Gander, T. J. and
Hogg, I. V.). Jane's Infantry Weapons: 1995-96. London:
Biddles, 1995. ISBN: 0 7106 1241 9. |
